Naim 6 Report post Posted September 14, 2009 (edited) Via Twitter, 10min ago: RT: @azranosmanrani: Ready for take-off from Stansted. All systems go for AirAsia X's historic first flight to the USA! Thank you all who made this happen. RT: @tonyfernandes: On our way from london to california. The first airasia aircraft to go to the USA. STN website, flight D7 2188 (to arrive Oakland 14 Sept at 7.00am): Edited September 14, 2009 by Naim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flee 5 Report post Posted September 14, 2009 Hmmm, I wonder how they can work around the D7 STN flight schedule to do this flight? Anyone with any ideas? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2 Report post Posted September 14, 2009 Does it have something to do with the Oakland Raiders, or is it something else? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naim 6 Report post Posted September 14, 2009 Does it have something to do with the Oakland Raiders, or is it something else? Yes, Tony & Azran are missing the Raiderettes! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naim 6 Report post Posted September 14, 2009 (edited) Interesting that OAK website - http://www.flyoakland.com - gives a cancelled arrival from JFK. I guess the initial plan was to do STN-JFK-OAK. === === A direct STN-OAK flight would probably take this route. === Edited September 14, 2009 by Naim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andi C 0 Report post Posted September 14, 2009 Perhaps to do a fly past for NFL's new season kickoff of Monday Night Football between San Diego Chargers & Oakland Raiders http://espn.go.com/nfl/mnf/_/week/1b Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sri Ramani K. 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2009 all happened by cancelling last night's TSN flight. LOL! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KK Lee 5 Report post Posted September 15, 2009 Wonder how many of UK fund managers were invited to the match in Oakland? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Walter Sim 1 Report post Posted September 15, 2009 all happened by cancelling last night's TSN flight. LOL! were the pax put on another flight(other airlines) or are they left to rot till the next flight @_@ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Radzi 2 Report post Posted September 15, 2009 Perhaps to do a fly past for NFL's new season kickoff of Monday Night Football between San Diego Chargers & Oakland Raiders http://espn.go.com/nfl/mnf/_/week/1b O/T: Darn! The game is NOT shown on any of the Astro channels. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andi C 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2009 O/T: Darn! The game is NOT shown on any of the Astro channels. Bummer, I think I'll cancel the 'sports package' since they increased the fee also Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Naim 6 Report post Posted September 15, 2009 I'm confused, in a deal like this, who's paying whom? And why? === AirAsia, Oakland Raiders make an odd couple Andrew S. Ross Tuesday, September 15, 2009 An AirAsia jet festooned with Raiders decor rolls out the red carpet at Oakland International Airport. Quite a media event at Oakland International Airport, what with a water cannon greeting the touchdown of an Oakland Raiders-emblazoned AirAsia Airbus A340 jet and a news conference attended by notables such as Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums; the U.S. ambassador to Malaysia, Jamaludin Jarjis; and AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes. It was all in aid of publicizing the low-cost Malaysian airline's sponsorship of the Raiders. An interesting, not to say risky, marketing strategy, one might think, given that AirAsia doesn't fly to the United States; one doesn't normally associate Malaysia with Raider Nation, or any NFL fan base, come to think of it; and the Raiders haven't exactly been the cream of the professional football crop of late - except perhaps in ways they would rather not be. (Recent punch-up involving head coach and assistant coach, etc.) Not much Fernandes can do about B and C. But the airline, one of Asia's most successful, is looking to rectify the missing transportation link, with Oakland International as its initial port of call. The Raiders sponsorship, said Fernandes, is intended primarily to "build our brand" here ahead of the airline's Kuala Lumpur-to-Oakland run. When might that be? "Sometime next year is a reality," he told me. One hiccup already: AirAsia's plan to bring over several hundred Asian fans for Monday night's Coliseum opener ran afoul of Homeland Security obstacles. "It was a friggin' nightmare," said Fernandes. AirAsia folks might also want to check in with its new partner's front office. The Raiders' game day Web page features a big ad for ... Hawaiian Airlines. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/15/BU3T19LUJC.DTL&type=printable Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Izhar Z 1 Report post Posted September 15, 2009 O/T: Darn! The game is NOT shown on any of the Astro channels. Have they ever shown any football match on Astro? But since AirAsia is already sponsoring one of the teams, they may show a few. Haha... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flee 5 Report post Posted September 15, 2009 'Xcellence' Touches Down in Oakland On June 25, 2009, The Oakland Raiders announced an unprecedented sponsorship with AirAsia, the largest low-fare airline in Asia. Highlighting the sponsorship is an AirAsia A340 airliner named “Xcellence” that is adorned with Raider marks and imagery, including the Raider shield on the tailfin and an eye patch on the nose of the plane. That airplane touched down in the United States for the very first time this morning and was put on display at the Oakland International Airport. A formal press conference was held on the tarmac of the Oakland International Airport as AirAsia was introduced to the local community. More here: http://www.raiders.com/news/article-1/Xcellence-Touches-Down-in-Oakland/c5040ec4-2e8c-43ab-a603-5c261b1e0502 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sharil Abdul Rahman 0 Report post Posted September 15, 2009 I must say this much - cikgu kenneth's plane has flown to US before he has! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MIR 2 Report post Posted September 16, 2009 AirAsia X sign on the old United maintenance hangar at Oakland Int'l. Raiderettes cheerleaders board 'Xcellence' for their tour of the aircraft. Raiderettes pose next to 'Xcellence' All images by Ben Mutzabaugh, USA Today. More images, CLICK HERE. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flee 5 Report post Posted September 19, 2009 Below is a more detailed story, minus the marketing hype: AirAsia X lands in US for first time Malaysia's AirAsia X operated its first flight to the US earlier this week - a non-revenue one-off service to Oakland - as the long-haul low-cost carrier contemplates launching regular flights to the US next year. AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman Rani says one of the carrier's two Airbus A340-300s landed in Oakland on 14 September following a non-revenue flight from London Stansted. The special flight, which Azran says was made possible by cancelling one of AirAsia X's seven weekly Kuala Lumpur-Stansted rotations, was made in an A340 painted in Oakland Raiders livery. The aircraft was only in an Oakland a few hours for a ceremony attended by the city's mayor and the US ambassador to Malaysia before returning to Stansted. AirAsia X signed up as a sponsor of the Oakland Raiders American football team earlier this year. AirAsia X currently does not fly to the US but has been evaluating several potential airports including Oakland, an alternative gateway for San Francisco. Azran says the carrier is also evaluating airports in the Los Angeles and New York City areas. He says AirAsia X is interested in any airport in southern California except Los Angeles International and any airport in the New York City area which can support quick turnaround and taxi times. Azran says the carrier is now looking at which routes to launch in 2010 and it is not certain that AirAsia X will begin serving the US next year. "We're studying it very closely and measuring it against the opportunity cost of other destinations," he told ATI following a 16 September speech at the Cargo Facts annual aircraft symposium in Seattle. Azran says Oakland is attractive because it is a big base for US low cost carrier Southwest Airlines "and it's very important for us to get the feed". AirAsia X has found that a lot of its passengers self-connect to other low-cost carriers, including to easyJet at Stansted. Oakland is also an obvious choice for AirAsia X because its sponsorship of the Oakland Raiders has helped it build brand awareness in northern California long before it launches services to the US. Azran points out sister carrier AirAsia's sponsorship of the Manchester United football team from 2005 to 2008 helped build awareness of the AirAsia brand in the UK before AirAsia X started serving Stansted earlier this year. This helped AirAsia X's Kuala Lumpur-Stansted route achieve instant success, with more than half of the passengers originating in the UK rather than Asia. Azran says AirAsia X would serve the US west coast from Kuala Lumpur via Taipei, Seoul or Honolulu. US east coast destinations would be served via Stansted. He says the carrier can launch service to the US east coast with its two existing A340s by extending its Kuala Lumpur-Stansted route across the Atlantic. For the west coast Azran says AirAsia X would need to acquire additional A340s. He says the carrier currently does not plan to expand its A340 fleet but will entertain proposals for more A340s if the right deal is offered. "If it is sub $400,000 per month we'll look at it," he adds. AirAsia also now operates three A330-300s and will take three more of the type this year followed by three more next year as part of its earlier order for 25 A330s. But Azran says A330s are not an option for US routes as they lack the range for a one-stop service and would require an unattractive two-stop service. He says the new Airbus A350 will be ideal for one-stop US service but AirAsia X is not scheduled to receive its first A350 until 2016. Azran says when AirAsia X began evaluating the A350 it was looking at both A330 replacements and growth. But he says the carrier is not currently focused on replacing its A330s with A350s because it believes on "bread and butter Asia Pacific" routes, which are typically seven hours or less, the A350 does not have a big advantage over the A330. As a result he says AirAsia X decided to order only 10 A350s instead of 25 firm plus 25 options, which it originally was considering. He says AirAsia X now intends to use the A350s to replace its A340s and launch more long-haul routes. While the A330s can be used to for services within Asia as well as to Australia and the Middle East, the A340s and later the A350s are needed for non-stop services to Europe and one-stop services to the US. Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/09/18/332400/airasia-x-lands-in-us-for-first-time.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Radzi 2 Report post Posted September 19, 2009 Have they ever shown any football match on Astro? But since AirAsia is already sponsoring one of the teams, they may show a few. Haha... O/T again: They used to show one Sunday game (on Monday Morning)and the Monday night game (Tuesday morning)last season and before, usually on ESPN. This week on Monday morning they only show the college game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jani 0 Report post Posted September 19, 2009 College football quite plenty this coming week http://astro.com.my/program/default.asp?i=30268&m=9 College > Pro Maybe not in terms of skill, but atmosphere is much better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Izhar Z 1 Report post Posted September 20, 2009 O/T again: They used to show one Sunday game (on Monday Morning)and the Monday night game (Tuesday morning)last season and before, usually on ESPN. This week on Monday morning they only show the college game. O/T too: Owh I see. I only noticed the baseball games. Not football. Maybe they should have a channel for US based games, since they have so many, and looks like they do have followers here, especially the ex-US students.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2 Report post Posted September 20, 2009 So when will we be able to fly to the US on D7? I'm actually eager to go to America to visit the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flee 5 Report post Posted October 14, 2009 AirAsia X in talks over KL-Oakland service Business Times reports: LONG-HAUL low-cost carrier (LCC) AirAsia X is in talks with the Americans to launch a Kuala Lumpur-Oakland service, possibly via Taipei or Incheon in Seoul, according to a Standard & Poor's report. Aviation analyst Shukor Yusof wrote in his note to investors that the Oakland International Airport had confirmed that it was in talks with AirAsia X. The report said that AirAsia's future forays into France and the US underscore its evolving business strategy of an LCC into a hybrid airline that blends traits of a budget carrier with those of a full- service airline. Shukor said the Oakland airport was attracted to AirAsia as passengers would be able to connect easily to US LCCs. "What that means, probably, is that US LCCs might get into the international act, too. JetBlue is one candidate. It has a deal with Lufthansa already. And, in recent weeks, Virgin America announced it had inked a deal with South African Airways," he said. Source: http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/paas-2/Article/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hon Kit 3 Report post Posted October 14, 2009 I thought Airasia only offers point to point, now they are gonna have connecting flight? If its possible, i think it will be via TPE. If its Incheon , then 2 new destination. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flee 5 Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Well D7 has been toying with the idea of 1 stop services ever since the A340-300 planes that they need have become very rare due to the delays to the B787. They are also looking at going to New Zealand by extending their Melbourne and Gold Coast flights. Paris will also be one stop via their virtual hub at Abu Dhabi. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
